Life:Steve & Gillian's first solo venture

Anyone interested in MP3s from 2 singles by Steve & Gillian under the band name "LIFE"? I have made them from a 7" of "Tell Me" and a 12" of "Better/Optimism". I could upload them to the site if the webmaster is wants them. "Optimism" is a very strong track with Gilbert & Lewis from Wire contibuting.

Gordon Toronto.

Is there an accompanying set of instructions available for your last post?

Originally posted by Gordon Nicholson Anyone interested in MP3s from 2 singles by Steve & Gillian under the band name "LIFE"? I have made them from a 7" of "Tell Me" and a 12" of "Better/Optimism". I could upload them to the site if the webmaster is wants them. "Optimism" is a very strong track with Gilbert & Lewis from Wire contibuting.GordonToronto.

If you're an Audio Galaxian tell us your user name and switch your satellite on. If not, go and join here, audiogalaxy.com, and then come back with your username. It's the easiest way to share files at the moment.

I'm a Mac user and there doesn't seem to be support yet for audiogalaxy. I'm in the process of switching to PC over the next few weeks so I'll join audiogalaxy when I get my new computer up and running. When I do I'll post the needed info.

Gordon.

Life were NOT Steve & Gillian. Someone may correct me here but I think they were two people who set up the NO synths for live performances. They supported NO in '86 (I saw them at the Bradford gig that year - they were OK but nowt to write home about). "Tell Me" was also released in a French language version ("Dites Moi") on Factory Benelux, Production by Be Music (either Barney or Peter I presume).

Peter,

You may be correct. Given that you've seen LIFE live and live much closer to MCR than I do, your information may be more reliable than that found in Toronto import record shops in the 80's.

From the "Factory Benelux - A Chronology site", though.

"Not only Sumner and Hook, but the other two of New Order, Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris, also got involved in various side-projects, including Life. Life made two 7"s for Factory: Tell Me in 1984, and the double A-side Better/Optimism in 1985. Both were issued with different sleeves on 12" by Factory Benelux, the first as Dites Moi, with the A-side sung in French. A Benelux 7" of Dites Moi was also set for release, but withdrawn at the eleventh hour." Frank Brinkhuis, 1990/1998. http://home.wxs.nl/~frankbri/fbnstory.html

Perhaps Steve & Gillian were involved behind the scenes in writing or production? The voice on the singles, though, does have some similarities to Gillian's as heard on Other Two material. The music itself, I think, does suggest a move towards the overt pop of the Other Two. Perhaps this is question for Steve?

Thanks for the reply, Gordon

*DING DING DING*

Gordon gets it right. Johnny, tell him what he's won...

In 1984, they took a break from each other and worked with various other bands behind the scenes before getting back together in 1985 to make Low-Life. Hooky worked with the Stockholm Monsters, Barney worked with Section 25, I think (Looking From a Hilltop, was it?), and the other two worked with Life and Stanton Miranda. All of which was mostly production work and some guest appearances on instruments.

I saw Life supporting New Order at the Royal Festival Hall in May 1984 and have both of their singles. They certainly feature Andy Robinson, and whilst I don't doubt that Gillian and Steve may have been involved, they didn't appear on stage with them as there was a very good girl singer.

Somewhere at home I have an NME interview with them which says the names of the group. I have a feeling the singer may have been called Heather.

For those who haven't heard them, they were a bit similar to The Sundays

Forget the in's and out's of who did what and to whom. All you need to know is that "Optimism" is a cracking tune and well worth 30 minutes of anybody's time to download.

Steve & Gillian may have been involved in the production, but it hardly counts as "by Steve & Gillian under the band name "LIFE"?" (I think this is what the Frank Brinkhuis site suggests as well), no more than Section 25 counts as a project by Bernard. FUCK ME! I'm looking at the bottom of the reverse of the "Optimism" single and it lists (in small writing) band members as "Graham, Gillian, Rita, Terry, Andy, Steve" wrong again, bastard bastard bastard. I'll go now. :\puke

Thanks for the bit of detective work above re. the listing of band members on the single. My 12" of Optimism has absolutely no information other than the catalogue number and track names. It appears that we have a assembled a brief history of LIFE. Hopefully this will provide the information requested by Seb. As highlighted by Old Blue, "Optimism" is a great track and a worthy download into anyone's Factory collection. If/when I sign on to Audiogalaxy, I'll post again for those interested in hearing the tracks.

Thanks to all of the above, Gordon.

Thank you Gordon, for the info! Now I have more NO-stuff in my collection than I realized - didn't know that Life had some No-connections.

A question about the second solo project:

Is Gillian singing on some of the tracks on Fact 85, Thick Pigeon, or does Stanton Miranda do all the vocals?

Thick Pigeon: Stephen Morris + Gillian Gilbert Carter + Kim Stanton Miranda + Karen

Thanks!

I remember a really scathing review of a single by Life (Optimism) sometime in the mid-late 80's. It was either the Melody Maker or Sounds: the writer wrote words to the effect of: Factory being built on the reputation of a dead singer, it went on to slag off the band Life and their single, concluding this band can't make decent record anymore, then "neither can the Factory...will somebody please shut the fucking place up?" Does anyone else recall this review?

Truth be told, my sole recollection of Life being a Factory act stemmed from this review!!!

Actually, Gaz, my recollection of that same review read somewhat more vicious: If I'm correct in quoting the scribe: "...thankfully the dead singer can't make records any more...neither can the Factory. Will somebody please shut the fucking place up?"

I think the writer was that whats-his-name from the NME, not MM or Sounds.

Originally posted by Senor Disco ......Barney worked with Section 25, I think (Looking From a Hilltop, was it?), and the other two worked with Life and Stanton Miranda. All of which was mostly production work and some guest appearances on instruments.

Yeah - Looking from a Hilltop it certainly was - what a GODLIKE single that is!! Bernard was accompanied on co-production/remix by Donald Johnson of A Certain Ratio, and the mix/production group on this single was credited to "DOJO" (as in Donald Johnson)! :)

ON AUDIOGALXY I AM EDV521 SEND ME LIFE PLEASE

I ALSO HAVE THICK PIGEON ON VINYL HOW DO I MAKE IT AN MP3?

THKS!